ISBN 978-1-4488-4798-3


NEW YORK


This edition published in 2012 by:
The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
29 East 21st Street
New York, NY 10010
Additional end matter copyright © 2012 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without
permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Southgate, Anna.
Drawing manga girls / Anna Southgate, Keith Sparrow.—1st ed.
p. cm.—(Manga magic)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4488-4798-3 (library binding)
ISBN 978-1-4488-4802-7 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-1-4488-4806-5 (6-pack)
1. Girls in art. 2. Comic books, strips, etc.—Japan—Technique. 3. Cartooning—
Technique. I. Sparrow, Keith. II. Title.
NC1764.8.G57S68 2012
741.5'1—dc22
2011007882
Manufactured in the United States of America
CPSIA Compliance Information: Batch #S11YA: For further information, contact Rosen Publishing, New York, New York, at 1-800-237-9932.
All other content copyright © 2007 Axis Publishing Limited, London.

CONTENTS
Introduction 4
Materials and Equipment 6
Female Figures 10
Female Faces 13
Female Hair 16
Hands and Arms 30
Legs and Feet 34
Female Clothing 46
Glossary 71
For More Information 73
For Further Reading 76
Index 78


F

INTRODUCTION

rom space explorers to schoolgirls to ninjas, girls in
manga come from all walks of life. In fact, when it comes
to creating female manga characters, your creativity is
the limit! Manga (that’s pronounced mahn-ga) is a fun
and highly stylized art form that originated in comics and
graphic stories from Japan. Manga girls can be bold and fierce,
like an exorcist priestess, or they can be meek or mousy, like a
princess in distress, but in order to tell your story in pictures,
you’ve got to get the look down. That’s what this book is for:
it will teach you the techniques and tricks to draw your manga
girls, one step at a time.

Drawing girls can be tricky. It’s all in the anatomy. If you make
her shoulders too broad and her hands too big, she won’t look
girly at all. Eyes, hair, and figure are all very striking aspects of a
manga character’s look. Will she have long, flowing purple hair
or short, black, punky spikes? Are her eyes big and glossy, exuding curiosity, or dark, darting, and mysterious? Part of the fun of
creating girl characters is determining their style. After you’ve
got the basics of drawing the body, you can learn how to draw
outfits and hairstyles and then come up with a signature pose
for your girl to strike.
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get started by looking
at the materials we need to get these characters from your
imagination to the paper.

4


5


MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
You do not need to spend a fortune to get started in drawing and coloring good
manga art. You do, however, need to choose your materials with some care to get
the best results from your work. Start with a few basics and add to your kit as your
style develops and you figure out what you like working with.
Artists have their preferences when it comes to equipment, but regardless of
personal favorites, you will need a basic set of materials that will enable you to
sketch, ink, and color your manga art. The items discussed here are only a guide—
don’t be afraid to experiment to find out what works best for you.

paper


You will need two types of paper—one for creating sketches, the other for producing
finished color artwork.
For quickly jotting down ideas, almost any piece of scrap paper will do. For more
developed sketching, though, use tracing paper. Tracing paper provides a smooth surface, helping you to sketch freely. It is also forgiving—any mistakes can easily be erased
several times over. Typically, tracing paper comes in pads. Choose a pad that is around
24 pounds (90 grams per square meter) in weight for best results—lighter tracing
paper may buckle and heavier paper is not suitable for sketching.
Once you have finished sketching out ideas, you will need to transfer them to
the paper you want to produce your finished colored art on. To do this, you will
have to trace over your pencil sketch, so the
Graphite pencils are
paper you choose cannot be too opaque or
ideal for getting your
ideas down on paper
“heavy”—otherwise you will not be able to
and producing your inisee the sketch underneath. Choose a paper
tial drawing. The pencil
around 16 lb (60 gsm) for this.
drawing is probably the
The type of paper you use is also impormost important stage in
creating your artwork.
tant. If you are going to color using marker
Choose an HB and a 2B
pens, use “marker” or “layout” paper. Both of
to start with.
these types are very good at holding the ink
found in markers. Other paper of the same
weight can cause the marker ink to “bleed,”
that is, the ink soaks beyond the inked

lines of your drawing and produces fuzzy
edges. This does not look good.
You may wish to color your art using
other materials, such as colored pencils or
watercolors. “Drawing” paper is good for
graphite pencil and inked-only art (such as

6


MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
Working freehand
allows great freedom of expression
and is ideal when
you are working out
a sketch, but you will
find times when precision is necessary.
Use compasses or a
circle guide for circles
and ellipses to keep
your work sharp.
Choose compasses
that can be adjusted
to hold both pencils
and pens.

that found in the majority of manga comic books), while heavyweight watercolor
paper holds wet paint and colored inks and comes in a variety of surface textures.
Again, don’t be afraid to experiment: you can buy many types of paper in single
sheets while you find the ones that suit your artwork best.


pencils

The next step is to choose some pencils for your sketches. Pencil sketching is probably the most important stage, and always comes first when producing manga art
(you cannot skip ahead to the inking stage), so make sure you choose pencils that
feel good in your hand and allow you to express your ideas freely.
Pencils are manufactured in a range of hard and soft leads. Hard leads are
designated by the letter H and soft leads by the letter B. Both come in six levels—
6H is the hardest lead and 6B is the softest. In the middle is HB, a halfway mark
between the two ranges. Generally, an HB and a 2B lead will serve most sketching
purposes, with the softer lead being especially useful for loose, “idea” sketches,
and the harder lead for more final lines.
Alternatively, you can opt for mechanical pencils. Also called self-propelling pencils,
these come in a variety of lead grades and widths, and never lose their points, making
sharpening traditional wood-cased pencils a thing of the past. Whether you use one is
entirely up to you—it is possible to get excellent results whichever model you choose.

sharpeners and erasers

If you use wooden pencils, you will need to get a quality sharpener; this is a small
but essential piece of equipment. Electric sharpeners work very well and are also

7


DRAWING MANGA GIRLS
Felt-tip pens
are the ideal
way to ink
your sketches.

A fineliner,
medium-tip pen
and sign pen
should meet all
of your needs,
whatever your
style and preferred subjects.
A few colored
felt-tip pens can
be a good addition to your kit,
allowing you to
introduce color
at the inking
stage.

very fast; they last a long time too. Otherwise, a handheld sharpener is
fine. One that comes with a couple of spare blades can be a worthwhile
investment, to ensure that your pencils are always sharp.
Along with a sharpener, you will need an eraser for removing any
visible pencil lines from your inked sketches prior to coloring. Choose a
high-quality eraser that does not smudge the pencil lead, scuff the paper, or
leave dirty fragments all over your work. A soft “putty” eraser works best,
since it absorbs pencil lead rather than just rubbing it away. For this reason,
putty erasers do become dirty with use. Keep yours clean by trimming it
carefully with scissors every now and then.

inking pens

The range of inking pens can be bewildering, but some basic rules will help
you select the pens you need. Inked lines in most types of manga tend to

be quite bold, so buy a thin-nibbed pen, about 0.5 mm (.02 inches) and
a medium-size nib, about 0.8 mm (.03 inches). Make sure that the ink in
the pens is waterproof; this ink won’t smudge or run.
Next, you will need a medium-tip felt pen. Although
you won’t need to use this pen very often to ink the
outlines of your characters, it is still useful for filling
in small detailed areas of solid black. The Pentel sign
pen does this job well. Last, consider a pen that can
create different line widths according to the amount
of pressure you put on the tip. These pens replicate
brushes and allow you to create flowing lines such as
those seen on hair and clothing. The Pentel brush pen
does this very well, delivering a steady supply of ink to
the tip from a replaceable cartridge.
Test-drive a few pens at your art store to see
which ones suit you best. All pens should produce
clean, sharp lines with a deep black pigment.

markers and coloring aids

Many artists use markers, rather than paint, to color their
artwork, because markers are easy to use and come
in a huge variety of colors and shades. Good-quality
markers, such as those made by Chartpak, Letraset, or
Copic, produce excellent, vibrant results, allowing you
to build up multiple layers of color so you can create

8



MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
Markers come in a
wide variety of colors, which allows
you to achieve
subtle variations
in tone. In addition to a thick nib
for broad areas of
color, the Copic
markers shown
here feature a thin
nib for fine detail.

rich, detailed work and precise areas of shading. Make sure that you use your markers
with marker or layout paper to avoid bleeding. Markers are often refillable, so they
last a long time. The downside is that they are expensive, so choose a limited number
of colors to start with, and add as your needs evolve. As always, test out a few
markers in your art store before buying any.
However, markers are not the only coloring media. Paints and gouache also produce excellent results, and can give your work a distinctive look. Add white gouache,
which comes in a tube, to your work to create highlights and sparkles of light. Apply
it in small quantities with a good-quality watercolor brush.
It is also possible to color your artwork on a computer. This is quick to do,
although obviously there is a high initial cost. It also tends to produce flatter color
than markers or paints.

drawing aids

Most of your sketching will be done freehand,
but there are situations, especially with manmade objects such as the edges of buildings or
the wheels of a car, when your line work needs
to be crisp and sharp to create the right look.

Rulers, circle guides, and compasses all provide
this accuracy. Rulers are either metal or plastic;
in most cases, plastic ones work best, though
metal ones tend to last longer. For circles, use a
circle guide, which is a plastic sheet with a wide
variety of different-sized holes stamped out of
it. If the circle you want to draw is too big for
the circle guide, use a compass that can hold a
pencil and inking pen.

A selection of warm and cool grays is
a useful addition to your marker colors and most ranges feature several
different shades. These are ideal for
shading on faces, hair, and clothes.

9


FEMALE FIGURES
THREE-QUARTER VIEW
A basic sense of anatomy and proportion is essential when drawing manga. Here
we have a basic female manga character in a relaxed three-quarter-angle pose, with
hand on hip, and wearing a simple school uniform consisting of a blouse, sweater
vest, skirt, and long socks. The outfit should be secondary to the figure itself, and
added after the basic body is constructed.
Now flesh out the
body. Draw curved
lines down to a trim
waist, and then the
arms, with her left

hand on her hip.
Draw her legs and
splayed feet, and then
indicate breasts.

Sketch a balloon
shape for her head,
tapering to a point
for her chin. Use a
series of lines and
ovals to indicate
her limbs and joints.
A female is about
six heads high.

10

Give her bangs and
a spiky ponytail, then
add school-uniformstyle clothes. Note
how the sleeves and
skirt spread out from
the body and indicate
where the vest creases
at the waist.

Add manga-style
facial features, such
as large eyes, tiny
nose, a small, smiling

mouth, and her visible left ear. Refine
the lines of her left
arm and especially
her left hand.


FEMALE FIGURES
BACK VIEW
Try to think of your character as a three-dimensional person, one that you can
draw from any angle. To help you with this, take the previous character and draw
a back view of her standing. Figure out how low her ponytail falls, and where her
various joints and clothes line up. Her body will be roughly symmetrical.
Flesh out the torso,
tapering into a tiny
waist, then out again
over the hips to
the line of the skirt.
Then draw down
the outsides of her
legs.

Draw a center line,
then add a balloon
shape for the head.
Draw vertical lines
for the arms and
legs, and horizontals
for the shoulders
and waist. Use ovals
for the joints, and

triangles for the
feet.

Sketch flowing lines
over the head and
down her back for
hair. Finally add
clothing details: the
ribbing on the vest,
and at the top of the
socks, and the short
sleeves of her shirt.

Add a neck and
shoulder blades,
then flesh out the
arms and draw in
hands. Then draw
the insides of the
legs, so that you
have created two
separate legs.

11


DRAWING MANGA GIRLS
profile view
Continuing with the same pose, try to draw your figure from the side, or profile,
view. In contrast to the rear view, the profile is not symmetrical, and it’s important

to understand how the contours of the body line up.
Add a circle for the
shoulder joint and an
oval for the pelvis. Join
the head and pelvis
at the back and front,
creating the curve of
the breast. Then add
the leg and foot.

Draw an egg shape
for the head, with its
point for the chin. The
spine is essentially an
elongated S-shape and
the legs are curved.
Draw a horizontal for
the floor.

12

Finally add the clothing
details. From this angle,
the collar is visible, the
sleeve tapers out, and
there is a little ribbing
around the vest armhole and neck. Add the
skirt, sock, and shoe.

Refine the profile of the

face, giving the figure a small
nose, then add an eye and
eyebrow, the mouth, and a C
for the ear. Draw hair on the
head and sketch the lines of
the ponytail, then add tapering lines for the arm and
create the individual fingers.


FEMALE FACES
FRONT VIEW
Here’s a basic front view of a female face. Most faces are pretty much symmetrical,
and the ears, eyes, and nose follow a fairly consistent pattern, with the tops of the
ears in line with the top of the eyes, and the nose halfway down toward the chin.
The position of the mouth can vary from character to character, but here it sits just
over halfway between the nose and chin.

Draw a simple circle, then
draw down diagonal lines for
the cheeks before turning
in and coming to a curving
point for the chin. Add a
vertical center line, with
lines for the neck below.

Ink the main lines, using a
thin pen for the eyes, nose,
and mouth, with a thicker
nib for the outline of the
face and the hair. Keep the

bangs and hair separate.
Color the pupils black.

The eyes are the
key in manga faces,
so start with these:
black pupils with dual
highlights. Position the
nose, ears, and mouth.
Add in eyebrows.

Now add the hair,
starting with the
chunky bangs. Then,
from a center line, take
the hair up and bring
it down to below chin
level. Don’t make this
too detailed.

Add color, using pale
pink for her face, with
beige for shadow areas
in the ears, under the
bangs, in the mouth,
and under the chin.
Also use beige for
the right pupil and to
outline the eyes. Finally,
outline a white highlight

in the bangs, and color
the rest of the hair a
vibrant purple.

13


DRAWING MANGA GIRLS
PROFILE VIEW
Now take the same character and draw it from the side. The relative positions of
the eyes, nose, and mouth should be the same. Note how the face outline goes in
at the eye area before curving out to a point for the nose and then sloping back
diagonally down to the chin. Manga noses are usually tiny and pointed, like this one.

Start with a circle,
and then draw a V to
make the chin. Add
a line for the back of
the neck. Then create
an indentation and a
point to get the profile
of the nose.

Now ink your sketch.
Ink around the face and
the two separate blocks
of hair. Use a fine pen to
outline the mouth. Then
color the pupil black.


14

Add horizontal lines to
help with positioning:
the ear and eye sit on
this line. The double
highlight is visible from
this angle. Refine the
nose and add the
mouth.

Draw the hair in two
pieces. The bangs form
a semicircle, with narrow V-shapes cut in.
Draw the curve of the
rest of the hair, down
to below chin level.

Color the face pale
pink and add beige
shadows under the
bangs, inside the ear,
above and below
the eye, inside the
mouth, and under
the chin. Finally, outline a white highlight
in the hair, and color
the rest of the hair
vivid purple.



FEMALE FACES
AN EYE IN DETAIL
The eye is a more familiar shape, the most important one in a manga face. Eyes are
usually extremely large and glossy-looking, with highlights and graceful lashes. This is
a typical example, which could be used on all kinds of characters.

Start with a rough
saucepan shape, adding small spikes in the
top two corners.

Shade the drawing using
darker tones for the pupil
and edges of the eye.

Within the saucepan,
draw two curving
verticals for the pupils,
and an oval shape
inside that.

Next, define three
areas for highlights,
overlapping the pupil.

Finally, add some
sweeping eyelashes
and an arched
eyebrow.


15


FEMALE HAIR
ORANGE BOB
This is a straightforward shoulder-length cut with full bangs. It’s softly feminine but
can be used on a harder-edged character if needed, so it’s very flexible and a good
one to practice. The orange color makes it very striking, and glossy white highlights
make it look like a healthy head of hair.

Draw a basic head
with large eyes, nose,
mouth, and one ear.
Then create spiky
bangs across the front
of the head.

Ink over the main lines
of the hair, including the
accent lines you created.

16

Add the rest of the hair,
working from the line
of the bangs downward.
You want to make the
hair fall in thick strands,
so you need to make
very few lines.


Now outline an area of
highlights on the top
of the head. Keep the
lines bold to work with
the rest of the hairstyle.

Outline the area of
highlight above the
bangs, then color
the rest of the hair
bright orange. Go
over the color again
toward the tips of
the hair and bangs
to make it darker.


FEMALE HAIR
GREEN AND SPIKY
This is a more feisty-looking cut. The large front part is divided into symmetrical
bangs, a very popular style in manga. The back is cut quite bushy and short for
a tomboyish look, and the color is a very bold shade of green, which is also very
popular with manga characters. The key is getting the bangs to look right.

Work a basic head, with
eyes, nose, mouth, and one
ear. Then create the front
of the hairstyle: this sweeps
back from a center part,

and folds down in front of
the ears on both sides.

Start to ink the hairstyle. Ink
the individual lines of the
upsweep, and then outline
the spikes hanging down in
front of the ears and the rest
of the hairstyle.

Now bisect the top of the
head with lines running
from front to back and
from side to side. Add a
spiky outline profile to the
top of the head and down
the figure’s left-hand side.

Next add some spiky
hair to the front of
the head, to sit behind
the upswept strands.
Outline areas of highlight on the strands
that hang down.

Create a dramatic
color scheme. Use
brown for the
upsweep and the very
tips of hair. Use an acid

green for the crown
of the head and the
front strands, working around the white
highlights. Finally, add
a darker green to the
area you outlined
behind the upsweep,
on the top of the head.

17


DRAWING MANGA GIRLS
center part
This style has a slightly more severe look, but it is still a pretty and neat hairstyle.
The hair is parted in a sharp divide and swept back behind the ears, leaving a nicely
exposed face. It’s not too fussy, so it could be used on an action-type character or
on a businesswoman. The hair is bright blue, but not too outlandish.

18

Draw a basic head
with eyes, nose,
mouth, and ear. Add
a center line on top of
the head.

From this line, create
a Cupid’s bow, from
which the hair falls

down to the ear level.

Add a couple of lines
to define the area
above the ear. Then
add large individual
spikes to the ends of
the hair on both sides.

Outline an area of
highlights on top of the
head on each side of
the center part.

Start to ink, outlining
the profile of the hair,
the center part, a couple of strands above
the ear, and a spike in
front of the ear.

Color the hair in shades
of blue. Leave the
highlights you outlined
white, then add pale blue
around them. Next make
areas of darker blue on
the ends of the hair.


FEMALE HAIR

with headband
There are lots of ways you can dress up the hairstyles on your characters to give
them individuality and style. Here we have a wide elasticized headband that sits
across the bangs and under the body of the hair at the back. The cut itself is fairly
neat and frames the face nicely on either side, with a rich green color.

Draw a basic head,
with eyes, nose,
mouth, and ear. Start
the hairstyle with a
wide headband across
the top of the head.

Next, add spiky bangs
below the headband.
Keep the spikes
chunky: you only need
three or four above
each eye.

Outline two areas
of spiky highlights on
both sides of the head,
one near the top and
one closer to the ends.

Start to ink. Work
around the profile
of the hair, the spiky
bangs, and the headband. Ink behind the

headband, where the
bangs fall.

Now create the
outline of the hair
itself. There are a
couple of spikes on the
crown, then the hair
falls loosely to about
shoulder level.

Color the highlights
using a pale green.
Then choose a darker
green for the rest of
the hair. Finally, color
the headband brown.

19


DRAWING MANGA GIRLS
black and spiky
For a more dynamic image, you can give your character a spiky, boyish cut like this
one. The overall shape is a wedge, with heavy spiked bangs swept forward and over
the ears. This type of hairstyle is popular with both sexes in manga, and this one is
colored a traditional black.

Draw a basic head,
with eyes, nose,

mouth, and ear. Then
create spiky bangs
across the face to the
ear.

Ink the part, and
then ink around the
spiky profile of the
hair and bangs.

20

Add a slightly offcenter part, and, from
the crown, work down
into short spikes on
both sides. Add a
couple of spikes below
ear level on both sides.

Outline a dramatic jagged area of highlights
close to the part on
both sides.

Color this style
dramatic black. Work
around the highlights
you outlined, and
leave a small strip next
to the part white, too.



FEMALE HAIR
blonde swept-back bob
This is a much more feminine and pretty cut. The hair is swept back from the
forehead to an invisible headband, from which the body of the hair falls down
to shoulder level in a gentle sweep. The corn-yellow color suggests a sweet and
innocent personality.

Create a basic head
with eyes, nose,
mouth, and ear. Then
add a swept-back hairline across the front of
the head.

Start to ink. Ink around
the bangs and across the
top of the head. Then
outline the profile of the
hair and the part.

Add the crown, with
a suggestion of a part,
and add hair down to
below chin level, creating spiky ends.

Next outline a highlight across the head,
behind the bangs, and
continue it to the edge
of the hair on the right.


Leave the highlights
white, and then
color most of the
hair yellow. Finally,
color the ends of
the bangs and the
hair bright orange.

21


DRAWING MANGA GIRLS
CURLY PONYTAIL
Here is another feminine hairstyle, perhaps for a more mature female character. It
has full bushy bangs falling down to eye level, and a high, full ponytail falling down in
the back, before curling up at the end. This is a style that can be endlessly varied
in terms of color, to suit lots of different characters.

Create a basic head
with eyes, nose,
mouth, and ear. Add
closely spiked bangs,
with more widely
spaced spikes falling
from the top of the
head.

Start to ink. Ink the
lines you drew first,
then draw the locks

from the top of the
head, and finally draw
those down the back
to the flip.

22

Now add some widely
spaced locks from the
top of the head, falling
down to shoulder
level. Finish with a flip.

Next outline the highlights behind the bangs.

Outline an area of
highlights behind the
bangs. Make the spikes
of this area echo the
spikes of the bangs.

Color the area of
highlights in a medium
red-brown, color the
rest of the hair with a
slightly darker shade,
and then use a dark
brown for the ends of
the bangs and hair.



FEMALE HAIR
PINK PIGTAILS
Many female manga girls are young and fun-loving. A typical hairstyle for this type
of girl could be these huge pink pigtails, held up on either side of the head by hair
ties. The size is exaggerated for visual effect, and the bright pink color makes for a
high-visibility image. The hair is drawn to look slightly shaggy, with lots of movement.

Draw a basic head
with eyes, nose,
mouth, and ear. Add
chunky, spiky bangs
across the face: you
only need about half
a dozen spikes.

Add a couple of
pigtails, one on either
side of the head, falling
down in loose spiky
locks. Secure each
with a scrunchie.

Create highlights
behind the bangs, from
scrunchie to scrunchie.
Then outline a highlight on each pigtail.

Start to ink, inking the
points of the bangs,

the top of the head,
the scrunchies, and the
pigtails. Add a couple
of loose strands on
each pigtail.

Next, ink the highlights. Choose a violet
pen for this: this will
help when you start
to color.

Color the hair bright
pink, up to the highlights. Finally, add
some violet ends to
the bangs.

23


DRAWING MANGA GIRLS
Wild spikes
This is a dramatic look with a windswept crown of thick spikes. It would indicate a
boyish, spunky female with a big personality. The white highlights on top of the head
emphasize the upsweep of the spikes behind the head.

24

Draw a head with
eyes, nose, mouth,
and ear. Work chunky,

short spiky bangs
across the head: only
create a few points.

Now create a spiky
profile around the
whole head, finishing
just below the ear.

Indicate an area of
highlights behind the
bangs, across the top
of the head.

Ink around the outline
of the hair, then ink the
spikes of the bangs.
Take this ink line up to
the jagged edge of the
highlights.

Next outline the area
of highlights around
the crown and across
the spiky front.

Color your hairstyle
jet black. Work up to
the highlights you outlined. Leave a couple
of white areas so that

the spikes of the bangs
are seen as separate
from the hair.